Vinos - Wines

Bodega Sottano's story

On the same road where you'll find Séptima and Ruca Malén, relatively new winery Sottano is making some great wines and is opening its doors to winery tours. The winery is a shared project of the three Sottano brothers, natives of Mendoza with Italian heritage and a family history of bulk winemaking. The winery building was designed by the brothers with the goals of fitting into the desert landscape of Mendoza and on the inside, being able to see all aspects of the winery from one place: the cellars and barrels, the tanks, the vineyard, and, of course, the beautiful Andes mountains that provide the water runoff that makes grape-growing possible in Mendoza.

La Azul Winery

This enormously cute winery in Valley de Uco of Mendoza, Argentina, La Azul is one of the smallest production wineries we've visited. Perhaps their size allows the focus and attention needed to produce some incredible wines. Like many wineries in Mendoza, Azul is a relatively new winery in Argentina with its first wines produced in 2003.

The Catena Family: An Argentine Tradition

An Argentine wine institution, Catena Zapata is one of the most important wineries in Mendoza. The Catena family includes four generations of winemakers and was one of the earliest to make wine in Argentina, planting their first Malbec vines in 1902.

Catena Zapata winery

The architecture of the winery is one of the most unique in Mendoza. The building is pyramid-shaped and was inspired by Mayan architecture. Although the building is certainly interesting to look at and the view is nice from the top, it wasn't built as much with function in mind unlike wineries like O. Fournier which has fused beautiful architecture with function.

The story of Tapiz

Perhaps one of the wineries in Mendoza that best encapsulates the gaucho image and lifestyle of Argentina is Hacienda del Plata. The winery actually grew out of the ranching lifestyle: its parent company a famous grain grower in Cordoba, Argentina. In 1999, the company started the winery, and all of its wines have names related to the ranching industry: Zagal (the name for a young man who works on a ranch), Arrieros (named after an older cattle driver), Mayoral (the boss of the ranch), and Cumbre (the summit, in this case the Andes).

Bodega Andeluna

Visiting Salentein

About Alta Vista

Ten years ago, French wine group Edonia purchased Alta Vista from its Spanish owners in the Luján de Cuyo region of Mendoza, Argentina. The winery is beautiful: in addition to the typical vineyard and mountain view, the entrance is lined with full lavender plants and ancient olive trees. Like CarinaE, Alta Vista has done a great job of keeping with tradition while having their own modern style. The winery building and equipment has been restored for their needs but in a historically-minded way.

Don Miguel Escorihuela Gascón started his winery at the end of the 18th century, and is one of the most historic in Mendoza. Don Miguel moved to Mendoza from Spain when he was 19 years old, and though he had no money when he arrived, four years later he bought 42 acres of land and started planting his vineyard. Remnants of the wineries history are in the huge barrel from 1910 displayed in the winery as well as an interesting series of photos chronicling the history of the winery.

Old World and New World Wines

Frederico Casonne from Familia Cassone Winery in Mendoza, Argentina describes the world of wine as divided into two groups: Old World wines from France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany and New World wines crafted in Argentina, Chile, United States, New Zealand, and South Africa. Without history and tradition on their side, New World wineries hope to create a new kind of wine, with their own style and distinct taste.

The Cassone Family and their Wines